Rabbit Trail . . .

Okay, this is a rabbit trail off to the side of our trip to Arkasouri.

See this "sweet facie"? This is Katie. Katie Miller. She questioned why her sweet facie and her husband Robert's were not on the last post. Well, Robert was not there. We didn't see him yet for several days. He will be prominently pictured in the upcoming post on our visit to the Millers'. And here is Katie's. I had this picture ready to post with her children's, but somehow, it did not get grouped with the ones I was going to post. Just a simple, honest mistake. No conspiracy, no sinister plot, no evil conspiracy.

Now . . . in the future, if I make an honest mistake and your picture (or that of one of your children) does not appear in this space, I will not carry a twinge of guilt or even regret, not for even a moment. It will be a MISTAKE! Your mother is not perfect. Your mother is becoming aged. If you want to benevolently do my posts for me and include everyone on your "sweet facie" list, you may be my guest! Otherwise, this is it!!

(I love you, Katie. I love this picture! That's why I had it picked out to post. I am truly sorry for missing it. Oh, no! there goes that twinge of guilt!)

Now, on to the rabbit trail. Today being Labor Day, dear sweet labor-addicted Danny decided it was time to . . . (drum roll) . . . (ominous music) . . . put some chickens in the freezer! He had plans for about 15 of the older ones, but Sarah Beth pleaded the cause of 6 hens. She wants to take them to the S. Elisabeth Home for Aging Hens and try to nurse them into better condition, hoping they will start laying with more regularity. So, we were down to 9 chickens whose fate was sealed. Some Dischers, some Stricklens, and one Amanda Sunshine came over early today to help do the deed.

The scalding pot over the fire. Danny mistakenly got out my wonderful 35 year old pressure canner -- oh, well, I was wanting a new one anyway!

Danny and Peter take the "whiz-bang wonder plucker" off the truck. This amazing machine belongs to friends of ours, the Waldmans, who raise yummy-tasting chickens. We are so thankful they lend it to us -- it plucks 4 chickens at a time and saves ladies' fingers!

Danny is "Head Eviscerater", although several of the older children are pretty good at it, too. A perfect time for a basic Biology lesson for the little ones!

Mary checks for any leftover pin feathers.

Mary, Sarah, and Amanda check, chill, and package in the wonderful, new mudroom. Thank you, Lord, for my mudroom!

CJ handles "Ice Patrol". Since we like to chill the chickens before they go in the freezer, the Stricklens' commercial ice machine is a blessing!

Chickens ready for the freezer! Yes, William was an official "chicken processsor" today!

After the children went home, Danny (well, let's say after a nice nap!) got inspired by the word "Labor" in "Labor Day" and planted the raised bed on the kitchen patio.

Then he headed out into the old chicken yard, and planted another one! Thanks, Sweetie!

Well, so much for the rabbit trail! Soon, I'll be back on the Arkasouri trip -- or Kitty ( http://www.thedischerfamily.blogspot.com/ ) is going to catch up and pass me on Insterstate 65 in Alabama! Thanks for all your help, sweet grandchildren! Thank you, Lord, for the ability to put food in the freezer that we trust!

Arkasouri Part 3: Sweet Facies

So, after a wonderful, comfortable night at the Whiddons and a delightful visit over breakfast, we were back on the road to Arkasouri. (Oh, BTW, can you imagine graciously throwing your home open to 13 road weary travelers?? The Whiddons always make us feel welcome and bless our hearts!!) Now we look forward to the "sweet facies" waiting for us!


Here is sweet facie Beth taking care of business on the road. What a blessing to have the whole Discher family along this time!

Emma Jane is going to get comfortable if she's going to be on the road a few more hours!!

This sweet facie was waiting in the driveway when she heard the RV coming up the drive!

We were just waiting to hear that husky little chuckle -- and when she saw her buddy, Emma, she was full of chuckles!

Sweet facie Ashley, our "favorite" daughter-in-law! Baby Clay is doing fine and expected to make his appearance in December. Ashley is glowing!

How good it is to see father and son fellowship together, sharing important things with each other, and portraying godly manhood for the younger boys.

Jason didn't let all those strong arms go idle for long! He needed to get the firewood moved, and they all pitched in.

Sweet Miller facies:
(Grandsons, please don't be upset with me! I still see you through Grandmother eyes! You will never "not" be a sweet facie to me!)

RG, oldest grandson. What a strong man of God he is! What great things God will do through him in the future years!

Matthew: Oh, the stories I could tell! What a blessing to see him grow and strengthen in his convictions -- and how nice to get a great smile out of him! Makes me happy, Matthew!

Daniel: He was "Bo" when he was little. He is still Bo to me and Mary. We could not believe how much he had changed into a man like his big brothers this time! He is starting to develop some real gifts and talents, and we are looking forward to seeing how the Lord uses them.

Benny: Benny, the grandparent-pleaser! He shows his love by the way he willingly helps. He is considerate and thoughtful -- and he loves baby Paul! (Oh, if you catch him doing his sneaky-eyebrow face, you will crack up!)

Andrew: Need to know anything? Need an intellectual discussion? Andrew will keep you occupied for hours! At the present time, woolly mammoths are a favorite topic! Andrew is already a competent defender of the faith. What a blessing to get him talking!

Rachel: Her mama's constant companion and blessing to her daddy and brothers. Rachel is a true woman of God, working willingly with her hands. Since I have been somewhat incapacitated, Rachel looks for ways to help when she is with me, even when nothing has been said. She is quiet, but quite competent!

Joey, here with Granddaddy: Joey the character! How we miss his mischievous ways! He loves to shock you with his version of ''the story"! But he is a lover, too! He wants to be with us for fellowship, and we love that!

Little Sam: Samuel opened up this visit, and we were so blessed to hear him sharing his take on life. He is a charmer! God spared him from serious problems at birth to use him for His glory! Samuel, "For this child I prayed"!

Well, our hearts were rewarded for the long miles of travel! It is so precious to see sweet facies and get to catch up on "life" after being apart so long. (Of course, it would have been perfect if the Stricklens could have been with us. Another time . . .) Thank you, Lord, for the wherewithal to visit loved ones who have moved away. More coming . . .

Arkasouri Part 2: The Whiddons

So . . . Off we went to visit our "sweet facies" in Arkansas and Missouri! This little sweet facie was waiting in Missouri. She has been waiting and waiting for her cousin Emma to come be her playmate in the Ozarks, and we had been waiting and waiting to squeeze her and enjoy her husky little laugh. Her parents sent us this "little star" picture, and we thought it was too adorable to keep to ourselves! (See previous post for the sweet facies we were going to see in Arkansas)

Sarah and Pete do their part to keep baby Paul happy on the road (Sarah's favorite position for travel!)

Rosie does too, only a little more pro-actively than Sarah and Pete! Baby Paul loved the RV!

The Whiddons, dear friends who live in Georgia, always prevail upon us to stop and enjoy their abundant Southern hospitality -- and their lovely home is a perfect oasis on the way. Here we are doing what we love best, enjoying sweet fellowship and God-honoring music with them. Mallory on the violin and Mr. Whiddon on the guitar. Oh, thanks, Mallory, for posing in the preview picture of the last post!

Here Discher and Whiddon maidens join together. Brooke and Sarah fiddle, and Gracie and Laney "mandolin". The Whiddon girls love to join the Country Cousins in playing old time bluegrass, but in actuality, they have wonderful talent in the performing of beautiful chamber music. They add the harp and cello (and little sister Nina) and bless people around their area. Brooke also plays the piano as the whole family sings.

On this trip, we were blessed to have my mother join us. She had not seen Katie or Jason's family for quite a while, and she had not seen the Missouri property, so she jumped at the chance! Here, she and Markie enjoy the music. In addition, Mother got to know the Whiddons' grandmother, who lives with them. What a blessing to have multiple generations spending time fellowshipping together!

The girls always bless us with a wonderful, home-cooked meal, and the adults get to spend time doing what we deeply appreciate -- discussing things of eternal significance and updating each other. God is so good to bring precious, faithful families across our paths to establish long-lasting relationships. His people will need each other more and more in the coming days.

Thank you, Lord, for faithful, like-minded fellow believers who are raising their families with the future of the Kingdom in mind. Thank you, Whiddons, for another wonderful visit -- we keep saying it's your turn to come our way!!

Next . . . the Ozarks!

Back Home -- Arkasouri Part 1

Thanks to the mercy and goodness of God, we are back home. We returned on Tuesday evening, Aug. 25, but we couldn't find our cord to transfer pictures from camera to computer, so that had to wait until today! Anyway, it was a great trip but my own little beddie-bye feels so good!

This is just a preliminary notice that more is coming! Pictures soon . . .

On the Road . . . Again!

Quick post . . .

Well, some people think all we do is travel, but, actually . . . sometimes it does seem that way! We told our son Jason that we would come out to "Arkasouri" this month, since he and Danny are in business together, and he wants us to see how much he has done! So off we go. And what a blessing that daughter Katie and her family live only an hour from Jason and his.

Here is the "chauffeur-in-chief" -- doesn't look like he is enthused about this trip! Actually, this is from a trip earlier this year, and he was tired! He says he is happy to hit the road on Monday, and we are bringing a crowd with us this time. Our oldest daughter and family, the Dischers, will be going along, including that "Star of the Moment", baby Paul. And Great-grandmother Harris (my mother) will be going with us, too, so we are excited about introducing them to friends along the way.

I am taking a cue from daughter Katie (http://crackercountry.blogspot.com/) and posting some old pictures. Here is granddaughter, Kitty, the old lady, one of the Dischers that will be coming with us. Cute, Kitty!

I love this picture! Here Sarah French-braids Kitty's hair, while Gracie does Sarah's, as they prepare for a Country Cousins performance. Sisters do amazing things for one another! They will be performing in "Arkasouri" for friends -- it is always fun to get together with the Millers and play some good bluegrass.

We can hardly wait to see this little facie, Joey. He is quite the precocious rascal, loving to shock
Grandmother with unexpected declarations. What will be his latest outrageous pronouncement??

We love to spend time with this precious facie, too -- sweet Rachel, rose among 7 thorns (well, her brothers are not really thorns, but they aren't roses, either!) Maybe Rachel will spend the night with us again and sleep up in the Chipmunk Nest! And she will have those blankets folded in no time -- Rachel is already a competent and enthusiastic home keeper.

Big boy Andrew with his sweet mama. We are surely looking forward to seeing these faces! We hope Robert will be able to be there, so we can visit with the whole family. Thank you, Lord, for the ability we have to travel and visit family. Please give us your angels as our traveling companions. More as we go . . .

Boston! Part 4: Homeward Bound

What a blessing our trip was! Thank the Lord His people find a way to come together and commemorate great things and great providences, even in hard times. We will never forget the things we learned about God's strong hand through the centuries, guiding and preserving, building and establishing. All the tendrils of His sovereignty, weaving through the ages and drawing, drawing us to Himself -- as a nation and as families.

Here are a few last pictures as we head home!

All the sweet (and manly) Stricklen children in costume in front of the authentic replica ( ! ) of the Liberty Bell.

CJ, God's purposeful older brother, guiding Wills in their testimony march through the Boston Gardens.

CJ dutifully keeping William in step with the parade! What adorable warriors! (Hmmm, do those words go together?? Grandmothers think so!)

Purposeful maidens step out of character for a second to acknowledge the grandfather behind the camera! When these young ladies joined together in singing hymns of the faith, the streets of Boston rang like they haven't in years! What a beautiful testimony!

Colonel John Eidsmoe, one of our favorite speakers. He is currently working with Judge Roy Moore in Judge Moore's run for the governorship of Alabama. May the Lord bring it to be -- we need such godly men in the gates!

One of my father's heroes of the "conservative" movement (actually, the movement to restore America to the faith of her fathers), Howard Phillips (in wheel chair) with his son and founder of Vision Forum, Doug Phillips (in white jacket). What a blessing that some of the old warriors are still here to see the fruits of their labors!

Here is Danny, right, with Geoff Botkin, center, (another of our favorite speakers!) doing what men do: discussing how to implement the principles and precepts of the Word to the saving of their families. Thank God for faithful men who understand the times!

After the Stricklens got on the road home, Danny and I, along with Susan, Chris's mom, were left with a day to relax and enjoy with no obligations. We had dinner at the restaurant I had been wanting to try all week! It was Maggiano's Little Italy, across from our hotel, and it was wonderful! Susan, whose late husband John Muccino was (real) Italian, says the food was authentic, and the atmosphere was as good as the food. We had a lovely meal.

The train route followed the New England coastline for quite a ways, which allowed us to see things we don't see in Florida. This is the "Block Island Ferry" (don't know where Block Island is, but it looked interesting.)

Neat rows and rows of sail boats. I know we have lots of marinas with lots and lots of sail boats in Florida, but these just seemed, well . . . New Englandy! I mean, I don't know if I will ever get to New England again in my life (or if I even care!), so I thought these made a nice memory.

Ahhh, palm trees! The Winter Haven train station! And beyond the (intrusive but dedicated) conductor waits, once again, our lovely chauffeur!

Granddaddy was happy to see her sweet, smiling face . . .

And so was Grandmother! Home again! Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful trip and such precious treasures to come home to!